Elastic fluid condenser arrangement



June 14, 1938. sc 2,120,909

ELASTIC FLUID CONDENSER ARRANGEMENT Filed June 29, 193'? Inventor Karl Schmer' by I His Attorney.

Patented June l4,l938 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 29, 1937, Serial No. 151,015

In Germany July 4, 1936 v 3 Claims. (01. 60-95).

The present invention relates to elastic cone cooled heat exchanger 25 comprises a casing 21 denser arrangement for condensing elastic fluid and a plurality of tubes 23 connected between discharged from prime'movers andls of special headers 25 and. 33. A blower or fan.3| driven significance in connection .with locomotive power by a variable speed motor 32 is provided for 5 plants. r forcing cooling 'air across the tubes 23. The

The object of my invention is to provide an motor 32 is connected through a variable resistimproved construction and arrangement of elastic v ance 33 to the'source of electric energy 34.

fluid condenser arrangements which permit eifec-' During operation a continuous circulation of tiveoperation. cooling medium through the cooling circuit in- For a consideration of whatI believe to be cluding the heat exchanger 25, the cooling eleo novel and my invention, attention, is directed ment 20 and the pump 24 is eflected. The coolto the following description and the claims aping eifect'of the'heat" exchanger 25 may be pended thereto in connection with the accomcontrolled by adjusting the speed of the variable panying drawing. speed motor 32. This control may be effected The single figure of the drawing represents a automatically in response to changes of the 15 diagrammatic view of an elastic fluid condensing temperature of the cooling fluid discharged from arrangement in connection with steam turbine the cooling element '20. To this end I provide power plants as may be used for operating locoin the present instance a temperature responsive motives; device 35 for varying the resistance 33 in re- The arrangement in the drawing comprises a sponse to temperature changes. With .the ar- 2 I boiler M of the single tube, forced-through type rangement shown'the speed of the motor' 32 is including a heating element II and a burner |2 increased in response to increasing temperature having an inlet conduit 3 for fuel and another in theconduit 23 .to effect increased flow of cool-' inlet conduit H for air for maintaining combusing air across the heat exchanger tubes-28. By

25 tion in the boiler. Operating medium, such as arranging the temperature responsive device 35 water, contained in a tank I5 is forced through in thermalcommunication with the conduit 23 the heating tube H by means including the at the outlet of the tank 2|, the control of the boiler feed pump l6. Elastic fluid discharged motor 32 ismaterially stabilized. The temperafrom the boiler is conducted through a conduit ture of the cooling medium flowing from the I IT to a prime mover, in the present instance a cooling element 20 of the condenser will be sub- 30 turbine l8. vThe exhaust of the turbine is conject to sudden fluctuations in temperature dedensed in a condenser I9. The condensate is pending upon the nature of the load connected discharged into the aforementioned tank l5. to the prime mover l8. Such temporary con- The condenser I9 is asurface type heat exchanger ditions ofthe cooling medium temperature will 35 with a cooling element 2|! through which cooling be smoothened out in the tank 2| so that the 35 medium is passed to eiiect condensation of the thermal responsive device and hence the motor exhaust from the turbine. 32 will be regulated in accordance-with the In order to permit condensation by means of a major changes in the operating conditions of comparatively small condenser and to prevent the system. The heat transferred from the exloss of condensing or cooling medium, I prohaust fluid of the turbine to the cooling medium 0 vide in accordance with my invention a closed is utilized in accordance with my invention by system which includes an air-cooled, surface type the provision of a heater 36 connected in paralheat exchanger and a reservoir for cooling liquid lel to a portion of the conduit 23. The heater connected in series with the cooling element 20 may serve for heating the cars connected to a 46 of the condenser l9. More specifically, the arlocomotive. The arrangement shown in the rangement comprises a reservoir or tank 2| for present instance includes three valves 31, 33, and cooling medium, preferably water, connected to 39. With the valves, 38 and 3!! closed and the the outlet of the cooling element 2|] by a convalve 31 open, all of the liquid discharged by the 'duit 22 to receive heated cooling medium dispump 24 is forced directly into the heat excharged from the cooling element 20. The tank changer 25. Vice-versa, with the valve 3'! closed 50 2| in turn discharges the heated cooling mediumand the valves 38, 39 open, the heated liquid. disthrough a conduit 23 and a circulating pump 24 charged by the pump 24 first flows through the to a surface-type heat exchanger 25 which in heater 38 before it enters the heat exchanger 25.

a turn is connected by a conduit 26 to .the inlet of The heat transmitted from the tubes 28 of the the cooling element 20. The surface-type, airheat exchanger to the cooling air passing across 55 the present instance a part-oi the air discharged from the heat exchanger 25 is forced through a conduit 40 including a valve II and a blower." into the air inlet conduit ll of the burner 2i. Another part 01 the air is conducted through a conduit 3 .to be discharged therefrom to a consumer such as an air heater, not shown; As the cooling medium for eflec'ting condensation in the turbine condenser is contained in a closed system, loss of cooling medium is eliminated which is a great advantage, especially when the ary rangement is to be used in connection with vehicles. The provision of a water-cooled, surface-type turbine condenser as pointed out above reduces considerably the dimensions of such condensers, an important point to be considered especially in locomotive design. The surface-type heat exchanger 25 is also of comparatively small dimensions in view oi the good heat transfer between water and air. This makes it possible to arrange the heat exchanger 25 so that its air resistance becomes comparatively small. The elements 01' the cooling circuit being connected by conduits 2'2, 23 and 26 may be arranged in any.

desirable manner.

From the standpoint of thermal economy it is permissible to provide a condenser either with a small vacuum orwith no vacuum at all since boilers are now available for generating steam or other elastic fluid of high pressure and a high degree of superheat. In some cases it is advantageous to circulate the cooling water slowly, that is, to discharge it from the heating element 20 at a high temperature. Such arrangement permits efllcient heating of cars connected to a locomotive and no longer makes it necessary to withdraw steam from the boiler for heating purposes. Live steam then will be used at the most for the initial heating 01 a train when it is standing still. T

Having described the method or operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment K I 2,1eo,eoe these tubes is also at least partly utilized. meteor, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative and that the v invention may be carried out by other means. i,

What I claim as new and desire tovsecure by Letters Patent 0! the United States, is:--' l s 1. Elastic fluid condenser arrangement including the combination 01 a condenser having a cooling element, a tank connected to the cooling element, a surface type heat exchanger and a pump connected in series with the tank and the cooling element, and means for forcing air into the surface type heat exchanger and automatically variably adjusting the flow of air in response to, temperature conditions of .the cooling medium at the outlet of said tank.

2. Elastic fluid condenser arrangement including the combination of a condenser having a cooling element, a tank connected to the cooling element, a surface type heat exchanger and a pump connected in series with the tank the-cool-' ing element, and heating means utilizing available heat energy of the cooling medium discharged from the cooling element, means for controlling the how or saidcooling medium through said heating means and meansjor uti- 25 lizing air discharged from'said heat exchanger including means for conducting a portion of saidl' discharged air to a boiler to maintain combustion therein.

3. Elastic fluid condenser arrangement including the combination of a condenser having a cooling element, a tank connected to the cooling element, a surface type heat exchanger and a pump connected in series with the tank and the cooling element, means for forcing air into the surface type heat exchanger and automatically adjusting the flow or air in response to temperature conditions of .the cooling medium between said tank and said heat exchanger, and means for conducting a portion of the air discharged from the heat exchanger to a boiler to maintain combustion therein.

KARL SCHMER. 

